The Imprtance Advanced Data Cllectin System Maintenance Berry Drijsen Glbal Service Business Manager WHITE PAPER knwledge t shape yur future
The Imprtance Advanced Data Cllectin System Maintenance Cntents Intrductin... 3 Utility Systems: Grwing Awareness Acrss the Enterprise... 3 System Maintenance: What s Included... 4 System Maintenance: Management Best Practices... 5 System Maintenance: The Vendr s Rle... 5 Cnclusin... 6 Abut the Authr... 6 Page 2
The Imprtance Advanced Data Cllectin System Maintenance Intrductin In tday s efficiency- and peratins-driven wrld, mst utilities use sme frm f system t cllect meter data frm the field. Fr many years, meter readers wuld g arund and recrd meter register values n paper, and then return that data t the utility ffice where wrkers wuld enter readings and issue bills t custmers. As fewer and fewer utilities rely n pen and paper, a variety f systems have been implemented arund the wrld t ensure that essential utility data is retrieved in a reliable and efficient manner because withut this data, the utility cannt issue accurate bills and therefre manage its water supply r its revenues. As the need fr data mves beynd invicing fr water cnsumed and int the realm f greater peratinal efficiency and resurce management, the decisins fr netwrk management, investment planning and custmer service systems are becming mre cmplex bth in terms f architecture and integratin. Even thse systems which are relying n meter readers in the field are nw able t cllect large amunts f data, and as such require mre thught, planning and maintenance. Cmplex systems acquire and can leverage mre data, but als create the need fr new r revised prcesses t be adpted. As ne f the wrld s leading prviders f utility systems, Itrn has built extensive experience in the selectin, implementatin and maintenance f data cllectin systems and sftware. In mst cases, ur custmers keep a system fr many years since it is central t the utility s activities. With that in mind, ne can easily see the imprtance f maintenance services fr such systems. This paper discusses the varius aspects f maintenance n meter data cllectin, management and analysis systems within a utility. Utility Systems: Grwing Awareness Acrss the Enterprise When evaluating meter data cllectin systems within utilities, yu will quickly ntice that they are mst ften managed by the meter reading department r the custmer service department r sme cmbinatin f bth. Daily interactin with the system can make sme f these utility stakehlders real experts in the functinalities, capabilities and quirks f the system. In additin t the daily users, mst systems will als require the input and maintenance frm the IT department, althugh smaller rganizatins will ften have very limited supprt available. The finance department is usually invlved in the data frm the system, as it prcesses the bills based n usage data. Finally, there is grwing interest frm a water netwrk perspective understanding water usage, leakage reprting, pressure infrmatin, and s n which can all lead t better manage f ur precius water resurces. With mre advanced systems supplying mre and mre data frm meters and cnsumers, additinal utility stakehlders have taken an interest in the data frm the system and will require access t that data. Mdern meter data cllectin and management systems are cnnected t several parts f the utility, and the number f interfaces is grwing. Regular updates t the machines running the applicatins and the evlutin f security plicies will require clser supervisin f all parts f the system t ensure cntinued ptimal perfrmance and minimal dwntime t the data cllectin and management prcess. Web prtals and thin clients will allw additinal users t access the data, but will als add cmplexity t the system. Slwly but surely, we can see the system becming a mre integral part t the utility as a whle ne that distributes key infrmatin t stakehlders thrughut the rganizatin. Page 3
The Imprtance Advanced Data Cllectin System Maintenance System Maintenance: What s Included Meter data cllectin and management systems are usually autmated t a fair extent. Experienced prviders f these systems, such as Itrn, have wrked with custmers t define a range f parameters and prcesses t ensure that cllectin activities are mstly dne withut direct supervisin. Hwever, autmatin des nt imply that n daily supervisin is required. One f the key elements f implementing advanced systems is putting in place the apprpriate supervisin structure. This structure implies resurces and tls, within the framewrk f the verall rganizatin. A typical example is a water utility mving frm a walk-by system t a fixed data cllectin; in this scenari, the psitin f the meter reading supervisr must be redefined t that f a netwrk supervisr. This persn will use the tls within the system as well as certain external tls t manage the daily data cllectin and management activities. Features like reading rates, RSSI levels and netwrk architecture diagrams within the data cllectin system help t mnitr the incming data, whereas applicatins such as HP OpenView* and specific scripts can help t mnitr the IT infrastructure n which the system is running. In rder t keep the perfrmance f the system at its expected level, sme system maintenance must be perfrmed. Just as a car needs regular maintenance (such as il changes, new brakes, new wiper blades, and s n), a data cllectin and management system needs maintenance and small crrectins in rder t keep it running smthly. The maintenance n data cllectin and management systems include activities like: Analysis Netwrk perfrmance: identifying which netwrk elements are nt prviding the expected data Data gaps: identifying which data was nt prvided as expected Data accuracy: identifying which data is different frm expectatins and pssibly an indicatin f errr Alerts: prcessing f varius alerts and alarms like leakage, backflw, and filtering repeat alerts Recvery Missing data: initiating manual retrieval f missing data frm varius elements in the netwrk Update + Recnfigure Custmer data: identify new accunts and meter change uts, apply accunt status changes Cllectin sftware and/r management system: install and maintain new versins with additinal functinalities r crrectins Sftware/firmware f netwrk elements: ensure new versins are applied as needed fr imprved perfrmance, new parameters and new capabilities Cmmunicatin netwrk architecture: recnfiguratin as needed, taking int accunt netwrk expansin r changes in tpgraphy IT infrastructure: mve t newer versins f OS, apply security updates IT perating system migratin: change f hardware, use f virtualizatin, separatin f backup strage, changes in directries Applicatin IT plicies: enfrce new security prcedures, mnitr and backup systems IT system infrastructure: integrate additinal interfaces Page 4
The Imprtance Advanced Data Cllectin System Maintenance System Maintenance: Management Best Practices In rder t achieve maximum benefit frm any system, yur utility must cnsider hw t manage the technlgy. Often, the intrductin f a system leads t a need fr fewer resurces t manually cllect part r all the previus data (again, typically used fr billing). Hwever, maintenance f an advanced system requires a new set f resurces. Ideally, resurces can be retrained t cver the needs, but this may nt always be the case. The prfile f the maintenance and supprt rganizatin will be very different frm the typical meter reading and custmer service rganizatin. Here are sme examples f prfiles required fr a fixed netwrk rganizatin: Applicatin specialist: understands the ins and uts f the sftware applicatin Cmmunicatin netwrk specialist: has a thrugh knwledge f the netwrk used fr the actual data cllectin, with expertise in radi frequency (RF) and cellular technlgy Deplyment engineer: manages the deplyment, extensin and field maintenance f the netwrk Database administratr: perfrms maintenance and backup f the system database, as the vlume f data cllected will be significantly higher than manual cllectin methds IT netwrk specialist: manages the interfaces between the system and the varius IT assets, such as the billing sftware, the SCADA system and the CRM. Als manages the IT infrastructure required fr running the netwrk sftware Business prcess specialist r data specialist: understands the best usage f the data in view f the prcesses applicable t yur utility The maintenance activities can be managed by a supervisr, with input frm the prfiles mentined abve, fllwing a maintenance plan. This plan gets defined befre and during the implementatin f the system, and gets updated n a regular basis as needs are reevaluated and new business challenges arise. Operating an advanced data cllectin and management system requires setting up an internal supprt rganizatin; this ensures that users f the system can get immediate help when encuntering prblems. This supprt rganizatin als plays an imprtant rle in training new users. Finally, by ding regular maintenance, the rganizatin is als better prepared t deal with unexpected events. The maintenance plan gives a thrugh insight f the system, which can help in dealing with unfreseen prblems r changes in the perating envirnment. System Maintenance: The Vendr s Rle As shwn abve, system maintenance includes a number f fairly technical activities. Therefre, ne f the first respnsibilities f the system vendr (r supplier) is t prvide thrugh training n the system. This training shuld include prper cnfiguratin and use f the system s functinalities t ensure that the system runs ptimally and data is cllected crrectly. It shuld als include deplyment training t make sure that data cllected in the field is reliable. And finally, the vendr shuld supply specific training n system maintenance, which wuld fcus n trubleshting, mnitring f perfrmance and implementatin f updates and upgrades. Anther respnsibility is t prvide a supprt rganizatin that yur utility can turn t when experiencing difficulties and implementing system changes. This rganizatin usually has multiple levels, with increasing levels f expertise. Whereas Level 1 supprt is the direct interface with the custmer, Level 2 supprt manages the relatin with the vendr s prduct management and develpment teams t address issues accrding t established severity levels. By chsing a glbal, well-established prvider, yu can take advantage f the experience gained by ther utilities that have implemented the same system. A third respnsibility is the prvisin f regular updates and upgrades f system sftware (and pssibly firmware). These updates will include crrectins t issues and new functinalities, whereas new upgrades will usually prvide sme majr changes t either functinalities r architecture. These respnsibilities are in general cvered under a maintenance and supprt agreement, which als indicates the prcedure fr managing the relatinship between utility and supplier. Page 5
The Imprtance Advanced Data Cllectin System Maintenance In the maintenance and supprt agreement, it is als critical t define the respnsibilities f third-party suppliers, such as telecm r sftware suppliers. The services f these suppliers can have a significant impact n the perfrmance f the system and need t be taken int cnsideratin when perfrming maintenance. In case a utility is nt interested in r cmfrtable with the investment in resurces required fr prper maintenance, it can cnsider using a Hsted Services apprach, whereby a service prvider, such as Itrn, can manage the perfrmance f the data cllectin and IT infrastructure fr a mnthly fee. Cnclusin As mdern data cllectin and data management systems have becme mre cmplex and clsely integrated int the utility s rganizatin, the requirement fr maintenance grws. In rder t be able t perfrm maintenance, yur utility must clearly define rles and respnsibilities in a new rganizatin. With these new respnsibilities, training becmes very imprtant, bth internally rganized as well as given by the supplier. In additin t training, the supplier shuld als prvide a supprt rganizatin t assist with the maintenance activities, as detailed in a maintenance agreement. The evlutin f the system thrugh regular updates and upgrades requires that a maintenance plan is put in place. Abut the Authr Berry Drijsen is Glbal Service Business Manager, Water and Heat, at Itrn. Lcated in Macn, France, he has been in varius Sales, Marketing and Services rles at Itrn since 1998. He can be reached at berry.drijsen@itrn.cm. Page 6 Itrn is the leading prvider f energy and water resurce management slutins fr nearly 8,000 utilities arund the wrld. We ffer end-t-end slutins that include electricity, gas, water and thermal energy measurement and cntrl technlgy; cmmunicatins systems; sftware; and prfessinal services. With nearly 10,000 emplyees ding business in mre than 130 cuntries, Itrn empwers utilities t respnsibly and efficiently manage energy and water resurces. T realize a sustainable future, start here: www.itrn.cm WATER + HEAT SERVICES 9 Rue Ampère 71000 Macn France Phne: +33 (0) 3 85 29 39 00